Conveyer mechanism



Nov. 8, 1938. w. J. TAYLOR 2,136,257

l CONVEYER MECHANISM Filed July V30, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Je la! 10510;

2) Iaentar Nav. 8, 1938. w. J. TAYLOR Y 2,136,267

coNvEYER MEcHANIsM l Filed July 3o, m35 4 sheets-'sheet 2 Nov. 8, 1938. w J. TAYLOR CONVEYYER MECHANISM Filed July so, 1955 4 heets-sneet 5 fff j. fa

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Nov. 8, 1938.

w. J. TAYLOR comm MBGHANISM Filed July 30, 1955 4 Sheets-$199124 Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE Application July 30, 1935, Serial No. 33,847

8 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in conveyer mechanism more particularly in such mechanism of the live miler type comprising a plurality of article transporting rollers rotated by a driving cable.

Objects of this invention are briefly to provide in a live roller conveyer mechanism, means for deflecting articles from the main line to a branch line and automatic means for facilitating the l0 separation of the articles into groups.

lThese-and other objects of the invention will be fully understood from an examination of the following detailed description thereof and of the drawings which form a part of said description -o and in which- Fig. 1 is an enlarged plan view of a live roller section 'provided with an article deiector mechanism embodying this invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevation and cross-sec- 20 tional views respectively thereof;

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged views partly in cross section of details of the deilector mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operating circuit for the deflector mechanism;

25 Figs. '1, 8, and 9 are side elevation, cross-sectional and plan views respectively of an article actuated control for separator mechanism;

Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate the article contacting arm of such control;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of a detail of the arm shown in Figs. 10 and 11.

Fig. 13 is a view in elevation oi' the ratchet wheel of the control;

A Fig. 14 is a view of electrical element of the control; and" Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic view illustrating an electrical layout by which the control is caused to operate a deilector mechanism.

This invention relates to a conveyer system 40 which includes one or more live roller sections.

'I'he term live roller section is used to designate a conveying instrumentality comprising a plurality of rollers over which the articles travel and a cable'or the like which is held in contact with the rollers and driven by a motor or other means to rotate the rollers and cause the latter to advance the articles. In Fig. 1 which illustrates a portion of a conveyer system is shown a live roller sec- 50 tion comprising a plurality of rollers |01 rotated by a suitably advanced cable 52. n

The live roller section indicated on Fig. 1 includes a branch station or storage line |0| leaving from the main line and to which articles are -515 'deected as' desired either continually or intermit- (cl. iss-127) channel bar |04, an angle bar |05, and a rod |00,

the bars |04 and.` |05 and the rod |06 being all 10 parallel to each other as shown particularly in Fig. 1. Between the cross bars |03 are mounted the live rollers 01, hereinbelow referred to as deilector, rollers. Each roller |01 is carried by a U-shaped bracket |08 in the end walls oi which 15 the vroller is rotatably mounted. Each bracket |08 is pivoted upon the bar |04 by a pin |08 and is supported at one end by an -antifriction bearing ||0 which surrounds the pin 09 and at the other end by the ma los upon-which it rests freely. Associated with each roller |01 is a sheave III mounted upon the bar |05 by a bracket |2. Each sheave III holds the cable 52 in contact with its roller |01 and is so positioned over the pivot pin |00 that the contact of the cable and the roller is in vertical alignment with the` pin.

As indicated by dotted lines on Fig. 1 the brackets |00 with the rollers |01 are movable upon the pivot pins |09 to guide articles from the main line to the branch line |0I. The brackets are 30 moved in unison being connected at the ends furthest from the pins |09 by straps which vary in length as shown particularly in Fig. 1. The iive brackets at the right end of the group are joined by a single strap I3 so that they move a uniform 35 distance. 'I'he other brackets move distances which gradually decrease, the sixth bracket from the right moving a shorter distance than the five brackets which are joined together and the bracket atl the left end of the group moving the o shortest distance. This follows by reason of the difference in length of the straps Ill, H5, H6,

I I1, ||8 and ||0 which respectively join the adjacent brackets. The manner of pivotally securing 5 the straps to the brackets is illustrated in Fig. 5 which shows a pin |20 by which one end of the strap ||4V is secured to a bracket |08.

Movement is imparted to the brackets |00 by a thruster of the well known type having 50 push rods |26 connected by a cross bar |21 which is raised and lowered by the mechanism within the thruster which is not shown'being norpart of the present invention. A cross shaft |25 mounted upon a pair of uprights |02 is oscillated g5 l.n i .at aise,

by the thruster through an arm it@ pivotally attached to the cross bar 521. This movement' of the shaft 926 is transmitted to the brackets mit through an arm it@ fixed at one end; of the shaft, 'a link; liti ancla strap i152 fined to one oi the brackets "|06, A spring itil ixed at one end to a cross bar lilil and at the other end to a bracket i08 assists the thruster to return the rollers lil'i to the normal position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 so that articles will pass undeflected. along the main line.

The thruster |25 hereshown is electrically operated by an electric circuit, such, for example, as that shown diagrammatically in Fig. 6. Mounted upon one side rail of the main line and in the branch line ||l| are circuit breakers |35, |36 and |31 respectively. The' breaker |35 on the main line serves as a safety device and when tripped by contact with an article opens the circuit. The breakers |36 and |31 are arranged in parallel and both must be tripped simultaneously to open the circuit. The breaker |35 is so located that it will be tripped by each article on the main line passing over the deilector junction so that the circuit may not be inadvertently closed and the brackets |08 swung on their pivots when an article is entirely supported by the deflector rollers |01. A switch |38 operable manually or in any well known manner controls the state of the circuit (either open or closed) in the usual way.

Figs. 7 to 15 illustrate means for energizing the thruster |25 which may be employed Whenever it is desired that alternate groups continue their travel past the deilector mechanism along the main line, and that the other groups be deilected to the branch line. The groups each consist of a predetermined number of articles, which may diiier between the main line groups and the branch line groups. For example as will he pointed out below, the illustrated separating means may make main line groups consisting of ve articles each and branch line groups consisting of three articles each.

'Ihe separator |52 operates automatically and comprises the following instrumentalities. Mounted upon a structure which comprises uprights |53 at opposite sides of the live rollers and an overhead frame |54 above the rollers and formed by angle bars, is a shaft |55 which is freely rotatable in journal bearings |56. Fixed to the shaft |55 is a ratchet wheel |51 with which a pawl |58 carried by a guard |59 meshes. Suspended from and freely movable about the shaft |55 are a pair of arms |60 one ateither side of the ratchet wheel |51. The arms are of such length that a bar |6| carried by the lower ends thereof will be tripped by the articles passing thereunder (see Figs. 7 and 8). Fixed between the arms |60 is a cross block |62 which carries a latch |63 yieldably raised by a spring |64 so that it is held in contact with the teeth at the periphery of the ratchet wheel. When the bar |6| is tripped by an article the arms |60 are swung in the direction of travel of the article and the latch |63 being in contact with a tooth of the ratchet wheel advances the latter one step. After the article has passed the arms resume their normal vertical position, the spring |64 permitting the latch |63 to move back over the next ratchet tooth, the pawl |58 resisting any tendency of the wheel to turn back. In order to limit this backward movement of the arms there is provided a stop plate |65 which is adjustably xed to a bracket |66 depending from the frame |64.

Itfi'ountezi on the frame tilt is control bon il@ within which is mounted a rotor Ili'il fined at one enti of the shaft and a pair of wiper arms ill@ mounted upon blocks of dielectric material ilii. :rotor is also primarily of dielectric material having, at diametrically opposite sides of the periphery, Contact plates i'ihl. The tipa of the Wiper crine i12 .are yieldably held by springs i'iil in Contact with the periphery of the rotor. The rotor is advanced step by step in unison with the ratchet wheel. In the illustrated construction the wheel includes sixteen teeth so that the passage of sixteen articles will cause one complete rotation of the wheel and of the rotor. 'I'he contact plates |14 are of such length that the wiper arms |12 will remain in contact therewith while the ratchet wheel is moved three steps. Thus after three articles have passed the arms contact with the dielectric portions of the periphery o1' the rotor until ve more have passed.

'I'he wiper arms |12 are connected with the thruster |26 as shown in Fig. 15. Thus the thruster will be energized while groups of three articles pass the separator and deenergized while groups of ve articles pass so that groups of three are deflected and groups of five are not. The number of articles in the groups obviously depends upon various details as for example the number of teeth in the ratchet wheel and the number and length of the contact plates |14 of the rotor, which may be changed to suit the desired requirements of any installation.

While certain features of this invention have been shown and described in detail it will be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and that various changes may be made in any or all thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a live roller conveyer mechanism comprising a plurality of rollers for transporting articles along a line and an endless driving cable one run of which is in contact with and rotates the rollers, means for deiiecting articles from the line 'comprising means for shifting the angularity of certain rollers'to change the direction of travel of the articles, said means comprising brackets in which a plurality of successive rollers are supported individually, a pivot for each bracket adjacent one end thereof, a support on which the other end rests and over which it is slidably movable and means -for shifting said brackets with their rollers upon such pivots and causing them to slide over the supports thereof.

2. In a live roller conveyer mechanism comprising a plurality of rollers for transporting articles along aline and an endless driving cable one run of which is in contact with and rotates the rollers, means for deflecting articles from the line comprising means for shifting the angularity of certain rollers to change the direction of travel ofthe articles, said means comprising brackets in which a plurality of successive rollers are supported individually, a pivot for each bracket adjacent one end thereof, a support on which the other end rests and over which it is slidably movable. means connecting each two adjacent brackets and means acting upon one of said brackets for swinging it upon its pivot, causing it to slide over the support therefor, said connecting means simultaneously and similarly moving the other brackets upon their pivots.

3. In a live roller conveyer mechanism comprising a plurality of rollers for transporting articles along a line and an endless driving cable one run of which is in contact with and rotates the rollers, means for deflecting articles from the line comprising means for shifting the angularity of certain rollers to change the direction of travel of the articles, said means comprising brackets in which a plurality of successive rollers are supported individually, a pivotfor each bracket adja- 'cent one end thereof, a support `on which the other end rests and over which it is slidably movable, means for shifting said brackets with their rollers upon their pivots and causing them to slide Vover the supports therefor, and means tripped by articles on the line for setting said bracket shifting means in operation.

4. In a live roller conveyer mechanism comprising a plurality of rollers for transporting articles along a line and an endless driving cable one run of which is in contact with and rotates the rollers, means for deecting articles from the line comprising means for shifting the angularity of certain rollers to change the direction of travel of the articles, said means comprising brackets in which a plurality of successive rollers are supported individually, a pivot for each bracket adj acent one end thereof, a. support on which the other end rests and over which it is slidably movable and means for shifting said brackets with their rollers upon their pivots and causing them to slide over the supports therefor, said means including a thruster, connections between `said thruster and said brackets and a trip actuated by articles on the line for setting said thruster in operation.

5. In a live roller conveyer mechanism comprising a plurality of rollers for transporting articles along a line and an endless driving cable one run of which is in contact with and rotates the rollers, means for deecting articles from the line comprising means for shifting the angularity of certain rollers to change the direction of travel of the articles, said means comprising pivotally mounted brackets in which a plurality of successive rollers are supported individually, said cable contacting with each of said bracket-supported rollers above the pivotal mountings of the brackets and means for shifting said brackets with their rollers upon their pivotal mountings.

6. In a live roller conveyer mechanism comprising a plurality of rollers for transporting articles along a line and an endless driving cable one run of which is in contact with and rotates the rollers, each of certain of said rollers being mounted in a bracket pivotally mounted adjacent one end thereof, strips secured to each of said brackets adjacent the other ends thereof and connecting each bracket to the bracket next adjacent thereto, and means for positively shifting the angularity of one of said brackets and the roller carried thereby, said strips simultaneously shifting the angularity of the other brackets and the rollers carried thereby.

7. In a live roller conveyer mechanism comprising a plurality of rollers for transporting articles along a line and an endless driving cable one run of which is in contact with and rotates the rollers, each of certain of said rollers being mounted in a bracket pivotally mounted adjacent one end thereof, strips secured to each of said brackets adjacent the other ends thereof and connecting each bracket to the bracket next adjacent thereto, said strips being of different lengths, and means for positively shifting the angularity of one of said brackets and the roller carried thereby, said strips simultaneously shifting the angularity of the other brackets and the rollers carried thereby through varying distances depending upon the lengths of the strips.

8. In a conveyer a live roller section comprising a plurality of rollersA for transporting articles along a line and an endless driving cable one run of which is in contact with and rotates these rollers, a branch section leading therefrom and comprising a plurality of parallel rollers extending at an angle to the rollers of the first-named section, said rollers of the first-named section being normally parallel and extending transversely of the line of travel of the articles and being individuallyA movable about stationary pivots and means for swinging said rollers about said pivots through various distances from the normal positions, thus changing the angularity and parallel relation thereof whereby certain of said rollers assume the angularity of the rollers of the second-named section and the remainder assume angularities intermediate that angularity and the normal position of the rollers.

J. TAYLOR. 

